Cooking For Choya

At Meidi-ya, as I picked out two fresh fillets of salmon, I cackled. My famous last words about the dog — "I'm not cooking for her." Well, these fillets were for her, to be sliced up into eight pieces and frozen, and I'd sear them bit by bit over a few weeks. Salmon doesn't form her main protein. It's very oily and it should be given in moderation. Salmon will be an add-on to whatever else she is having.

Choya has been living with us for four months. From crap kibbles to low quality canned food, her stomach has been transitioned to tolerate new foods in small and increasing doses. She eats a combination anyway. She now has higher quality kibbles, and grain-free wet food of meat, green tripe and offal; there're dehydrated raw nuggets (to rehydrate), as well as human-grade lean beef and lamb mince that are unsalted and cooked without any sort of oil or seasoning. I don't even bother with herbs because the occasional vitamins meshed into her food will take care of any lacking aspects. #ImpieCooks2019

In the interest of all-rounded nutrients and for the convenience of future boarding logistics, she'll not be put on a full cooked-food diet. I also not so free ah. I don't want her stomach to become so delicate till it gets upset when other foods are given. Her meals are rotated throughout the week to ensure a good balance of all nutrients to be absorbed. She's not to take that much fats (hence I'm watching the intake of salmon skin and treats) in order to avoid triggering pancreatitis.

One thing, I will not feed raw, raw. I don't have the confidence to keep, handle and serve the raw foods in a hygienic way. I'm also wary of parasites and salmonella. It only takes one raw egg to kill us with cleaning up explosive poop (been there, will avoid going there again). Any human-grade food for Choya will be all cooked. Her daily poop tells me everything I need to know about her gut flora. I'm very conscious of it. I don't take kindly to random strangers exhorting the beauty of feeding raw, to my face. Whoever cleans up the poop-slush gets final say over her food/diet.